Roger Waters calls Ed Sheeran a 'little prick' after Macklemore dropped from tour

Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has criticised Ed Sheeran after rapper Macklemore was removed from the singer's US tour following his public support for Palestinians in Gaza.

Waters made the remarks in an Instagram video on Tuesday night, according to Rolling Stone, calling Sheeran a "little prick" and praising Macklemore for "doing the right thing".

"I just have a little message for you," Waters said, after the screen displayed the words "Ed Who?" and a clip of his cover of "We Shall Overcome" played in the background. "There's two kinds of people in this world. There's people who do the right thing, that rapper Macklemore would be one of those people, and there's people, many of them sadly little ff… — excuse me I nearly used the F-word then — pricks like you who do the wrong thing. Goodbye."

Macklemore was dropped from the remaining dates of Sheeran's tour after concert venues reportedly threatened to cancel shows if he remained on the lineup.

At two concerts in the New York City area, Macklemore shouted "free Palestine", displayed images of destruction in Gaza following Israel's war against Hamas, and performed a song about a six-year-old Palestinian child killed in the conflict.

Messina Touring Group, the tour's promoter, said venues had refused to host shows featuring Macklemore.

"As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran's US Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming US tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans," the company said. "After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates."

On Wednesday, other artists scheduled to support Sheeran, including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, announced that they would withdraw from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," Finneas wrote on Instagram. "I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people."

Sheeran said he had attempted to resolve the dispute but that the decision ultimately rested with the promoter and venue owners.

"I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue's and promoter's decision was final," he wrote.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft also said he did not want Macklemore performing at Boston's Gillette Stadium.

"Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium," Macklemore wrote. "Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues."

US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described allowing stadium owners to restrict performers' speech as "a dangerous precedent".